Industry Views
November 2018

Fells Andes: Mindful Design

San Francisco, CA-based Fells Andes (hola@fellsandes.com, fellsandes.com), which offers luxury rugs, textiles and accessories, was founded by Courtney and James Trump. Courtney leads creative direction and manufacturing, while James oversees the brand from art direction to product development. Below Courtney explores Fells Andes’ vision.

Your website states: “We design mindful rugs, textiles and accessories.” What do you mean by mindful?
“We don’t just think about how a piece will look in isolation, but what it will contribute to the feel of a space, how it will add warmth to everyday life and layers to a personal story. From our choice to use only natural fibers to our commitment that all of our products be ethically produced and use only eco-friendly water-based dyes, every choice we make impacts the final piece and what it adds to the world. We work with amazing crafts people and through those relationships we are able to develop iterations of our products that far surpass their original concept.”

What makes your company different?
“We keep our line very much at an intimate scale. Whether through their selection of color, fiber or detail, we want people to engage with our products in a way that makes them completely unique. At the same time we work hard to only produce pieces that we feel passionately about. We aren’t for everyone and it isn’t our aim to have a massive archive of hundreds of designs. It’s about creating one perfect piece at a time.
“We also want to push the boundaries in terms of ethical responsibility. Through the use of cruelty free Merino, baby alpaca and our amazing Fjun fur fabric, which is a genuine fur textile made using sheared superfine alpaca, thus not harming the animals, we’re constantly looking for new ways that can improve our impact on the world and make products that are better in every way.”

What is your aesthetic?
“We refer to our line as ‘warm minimalist’. We focus on subdued colors and tend to favor fiber, hand-dipped color and texture over bold colors or pattern. Our pieces are quiet enough to sit naturally in both modern and traditional settings while maintaining a voice.”